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Introduction
Now this is kind of not mass transportation but it is like the trains I mentioned above. It requires a whole retrofit of the highway system which to me is mass transit. Everybody has their own cars so it is individual transportation but they all work in unison once they are on the highway.
The site I used as a source is extremely long so I'll give you the summary which is still very long. Basically, dual mode systems being proposed by various companies consists of special automatic guideways with most of the artificial intelligence in the guideway network as opposed to putting it in the cars like General Motors is suggesting. You will use your own car if you have one but other cars like taxis as well as buses will use it ony if it is equipped for dual mode. The guideways use magnetic levitation (maglev) and once your on it your engine will be shut down so it not only saves time but it saves money on wear and tear as well as gas. It is better also because you don't have to go to the buses as Personal Rapid Transit makes you do, you have the bus in your parking spot or driveway. You leave whenever you want and once you're on the guideway you are free to do whatever you need to do, whether it is grooming, taking a conference call, or whatever you want to do. This system though is once made for the highways, but what this website suggests is that if you're going downtown you just park your car directly off the guideway which obviously reduces street traffic as well as street parking issues.
Getting on the System
There is an "entry stop" where you turn off the engine, and tell the computer where you want to go. The computer is basically like a parking garage entrance where they also charge you based on how far you want to go. While you are telling the computer where you want go, another computer checks all your part to make sure it is safe to allow you onto the guideways as well as identifying your car through an onboard computer chip. Then, if you are accepted to use the guideways, you are shot up to guideway speed and found a place in the system by slowing down cars and speeding up others ones for a short amount of time to fit you in. If however you do not meet the standards of the guideway system, you will be forced to back up and use the regular roads.
Travelling on the System
Once you are on the system and merged with traffic, your vehicle will be accelerated to guideway speed which is 60mph in and around major cities and 200mph between major cities but in both these situations, cars will be travelling only 1 foot apart. Changing lanes will be done automatically by the vehicle only if there is more than 1 lane. When you are on the guideway system, you are free to do whatever your heart desires, whether that is reading a book, taking a conference call, feeding your baby, or eating, the choice is up to you. Speeding up and slowing down are done seamlessly so if you are drinking coffee you won't be jolted and your new suit won't be ruined.
Advantages of Dual Mode
There are many advantages to using dual mode but the major ones are: you will get to your destination in much quicker time, traffic jams will come to an end because cars are now travelling at the same speed at least on the guideways, and it reduces traffic and parking spot problems in cities. This website suggests that its proposed dual mode system will also reduce air traffic because when you add up the time wasted through security checks, travel time to the airports, late flights, and what not, the guidways will get you to your destination faster up to a 1000 mile destination. The main benefit though to most people is that there is a reduced threat of terrorist attacks as well you get your own private car so basically your travelling in a better than first class atmosphere. It will also reduce air freight planes as driverless freight containers will be barelling down the guideways obviously not putting anybody in danger. Now the big issue today and this week at least in the GTA is street racing. This will definitly push street racing to extinction, although that is sad for me as I always wanted to hop into a modified car and race down the city streets of Tokyo. Street racing will become extinct because after this system is implemented, police cars can focus on the few regular streets that are left in the jurisdiction. As well, it will be extremely expensive to retrofit a modified car to work on the guideway system, unless they choose not to use it. As you can see there are many advantages to building a guideway system, overall saving the economy a lot of money because as many of you know, when people are late for work, depressed and angry because of traffic, productivity goes way down resulting in money going down the drain.
Cost of the System for Builders and Users
The cost of the system is virtually unknown with production costs going down as the technology becomes more mainstream, but they estimate that each mile will cost 20-50 million dollars. It will probably be somewhat subsidised by the government but with that they will probably request some royalties and/or restrictions like Highway 407 in Toronto. Cost for the users will be less than it costs to get you around using gasoline all by the time it's built.
Some Extra Links to Check Out
http://www.autoshuttle.de/index_en.html
http://myhome.naver.com/btcom/bt.htm
http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/beregi.htm
http://www.megarail.com/
All in order of recommendedness*
*if that's even a word